A few weeks ago, I was faced with deciding between right and wrong. Thankfully, I made the right decision. It was just a normal night. I was hanging out with my friends as usual. We were having a good time, joking around and just being friends, and then everything changed. A couple of my friends thought it was okay to bash gay people. They called them inappropriate names and even said that they would segregate their children from them if needed. I was shocked. I could not believe that these words could come from people who I called my friends . When I questioned them, they blamed it on their religious beliefs. I was flabbergasted.

I can understand if you believe in something. I respect that and would never challenge anyone’s religious beliefs. However, bashing people simply because of their sexual orientation is wrong. Calling someone a dyke or a faggot is not acceptable. Saying that you would not allow your child to play on an athletic team because of all of the gay people is disgusting . That is not religion. That is discrimination.

I hate when people discriminate. So, I held my ground and told them that their statements were flawed. They did not like that. They say that I overreacted. Our friendship will never be the same and that is okay with me. I do not regret a thing. Equality is precious and it is a right that everyone deserves. I will never apologize for defending what is right. I will always stand for what I believe in.

Check out a video from the No H8 campaign below:

“Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently.”
Tom Robbins